Big Trips

[Hookey]

Made a first time trip to LOW this winter, man does that lake look like it would be fun to explore and work over in the summer. Sounds like the lake accesses can be a zoo during the summer but I may just give it a try.

It has been a long time since I have been to Canada. I enjoyed the years we could go it on our own and camp on the English River and fish flooded timber on the high side of White Dog Dam but they shut that down to nonresidents years ago. After a couple of visits to Canadian resorts I decided I would rather spend my money Stateside where they smile back.

Other than fishing the area lakes I plan on at least one trip to Upper Red this summer and hope and pray the wind won't keep me off the lake as happens so often up there.

So what about you, any Big Trips planned ? Any favorite destinations ?

[riverrat56]

Rainy River in less than 2 weeks for the Sturgeon Excursion, hopefully at least 1 trip to Leech sometime during summer and a few trips to Mille Lacs as well.

[MinnesotaMongo]

We are doing our annual trip to Rush near Ottertail - plus I think we may be making a couple trips to the Big Pond for some smallie action (yeah, yeah, I know....). We are also planning to fish a lot of lakes northwest of the TC's - our old stomping grounds - to relive some great bass fishing lakes on classic MN lakes. Should be a fun summer - as long as gas prices stay somewhat sane..

[smalltownboi2008]

hey riverrat,

my brother was on rainy river last weekend and he told me the whole story how they did in details. but it sounded like it was a huge amateur hour for him. there were still icebergs floating down the river, boat motor didn't wanna start but they got it going eventually, then he broke a rod or 2, lost his keys for his ignition on his motor, etc. i started laughing when he told me all that stuff. i think it was the first time ever he has ever done crazy things like that. anyways it was cold and raining at the time he went and they did hook onto a few sturgeon and one just about pulled him overboard. he caught 3 of them with 2 being roughly 10 pounds and the other being 22 lbs. unfortunatly he didn't have his digital camera with at the time cause he left that in the truck also. but man! i would have loved to see a picture of that!

[Fishing_Novice]

Looking forward to our family trip to LOTW the first week of June.

Here are a few shots from last year.

[Matt C]

Rainy River in less than 2 weeks for the Sturgeon Excursion, hopefully at least 1 trip to Leech sometime during summer and a few trips to Mille Lacs as well.

Gee, sounds awfully familiar

Everything the same for me except leech.

Will do the Excursion, Mille a couple times, Gull lake, and instead of big sandy lake this year, the family and I are going to hit up the Alexandria chain.

[smalltownboi2008]

for me i plan on going up to Lake Vermillion in the middle of august for a muskie fishing trip. we do it every year and boy its a blast. we will be up there for 2 weeks and camping off an island. im also wanting to hit up millacs sometime as well and maybe the LOW if i get a chance too.

[riverrat56]

I also am going to try to pull off a Red Lake or Winne trip the weekend after opener, hopefully it all falls into place.

[No_Net]

I'll hopfully be heading up to leech at least ten times this year and the horseshoe lake a couple of times to.

RR i was going to ask you if you wanted to go to leech that weekend but never mind.

[BezD40]

We will be hitting LOTW once and leech. Probably fishing small local lakes the rest of the year

[walleyehunter80]

Ok where should I start?

My summer is going to look like this:

May 13-17 I will be up on Slim lake near Spooner, Wi roofing a cabin and catching walleyes

June 19-21 I will be up on lake Superior near Port Wing, Wi fishing trout and salmon

June 26-28 I will be up on Lake Vermillion fishing walleyes

July 3-5 Again up on Vermillion after walleyes

August 7-16 I will be up on Lake Superior trout and salmon fishing out of Grand Marais, Mn

August 28-30 Vermillion once again walleye fishing

That about sums it up other than a day trip now and then to mille lacs.

If everything works out I will get up to Slim Lake one other time this summer (date unknown) and a 4 day trip to the Park Rapids area with the boss.

Keeping fingers crossed for good weather on all these dates!!!

Josh

[KTapper]

Busy summer Josh! My summer is going to be pretty quiet, but hope to go a few places.

[Team Otter]

Mainly stay close to home but I will be chasing big walleyes in NE South Dakota mid-June, fishing a tournament on Winnie mid-July and riggin' for 'eyes on Gull in early October.

[harvey lee]

My fishing will mainly be at home on the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers.

[Chopper77]

Mid August to Homer Alaska for halibut for acouple days then off to southwest Alaska for a week or so to float a river for silvers and rainbows.

[onlydrakes4me]

May 28 - 31 Leech Lake Catching walleye's

Maybe late Sept trip back to Leech

other than that I will fish local lakes

[pikehunter78]

At some point my buddies and I will be fishing the Kawishiwi Chain (White Iron, Farm and Garden lakes) for the fourth year in a row up by Ely. Most likely in early September. Great time and very affordable because we camp.

[walleyehunter80]

pikehunter, I lived in Ely for a year and had some of my best fishing where the kawishiwi river flows out of white iron. white iron is all in all just a darn good lake the way it is.

Also where the power plant is on i think fall lake is good too.

but then you really cant rule out ed shave up the echo trail. oh yeah and if you like catching trout you have to fish miners lake for a afternoon, you wont regret it!!!

[walleyehunter80]

Busy summer Josh! My summer is going to be pretty quiet, but hope to go a few places.

Kevin if your interested and dont have anything or anyone tieing you down, you could join me up to mille lacs one of the times i go up. Im sure the co-worker im going with would not mind! I dont think I will be staying up there but just going up for a day trip.

Josh

[KTapper]

That would be cool. I hope to plan something this summer with a group going somewhere for a weekend. You have my info keep in touch.

[Hookey]

Echo trail you refer to is that a part of Echo lake North of Duluth ?

I have ice fished Trout opener on Echo lake the last four years and every single year it gets Colder and the snow is a bit deeper than the last or maybe I simply get older ?

Ice fishing Echo has become yet another yearly trip or rite of passage from season to season. My cousin has a cabin North of Gooseberry Falls where we meet. We eat and drink like kings, watch the deer at the feeders in the evening and fish for Splake and Rainbow during the day.

All the trips posted sound like a great time. I find half the fun of these trips is in the planning and dreaming that preceeds them as the trips themselves never last long.

[walleyehunter80]

Hookey you could not be more right, I swear I have more fun shopping and preparing and planning for a trip than I actualy have on the trip. I usually start my planning about 6 months prior and I get so into it and so worked up over it I cant usually even sleep the night before I leave ha ha ha.

As for the echo trail being apart of the echo lake near duluth, I can not say, im just not sure sorry

[Hookey]

Like Christmas Morning for grown-ups ?

[smalltownboi2008]

walleyehunter80,

my brother has lived in ely for the past 4 years now and he really enjoys it. i was just up there in the middle of march for some lake trout and stream trout fishing. we fished burntside lake and miners and boy was it fun! i never fished for lakers before and it was a darn good time. it just caught my eye how u said u lived in ely and i know about all them lakes up there and what not. my mom fished white iron and caught a 8 lb walleye and i guess it held the state record back in 1984 for minnesota for 2 weeks. it was pretty interesting i tell ya.

[pikehunter78]

pikehunter, I lived in Ely for a year and had some of my best fishing where the kawishiwi river flows out of white iron. white iron is all in all just a darn good lake the way it is.

Walleye hunter - that's where we stay every year, Silver Rapids Lodge. We do a lot of fishing right at the mouth, and we also explore a lot of the backwaters. If you have any tips on where to find big pike up there let me know. I've heard that there's trophy potential up there but we haven't managed more than probably a 5 pounder the last few years

[walleyehunter80]

I have cought some pretty nice pike up in the ely area one of the top producing lakes that I have found big pike in is I would like to say Low Lake just north of Winton. My memory is a little sketchy since I have lived up there. 1998-99 was the year I lived there and I did ALOT of fishing that year (thats why I am a carpenter and not a Conservation officer) Ha Ha Ha. I was hard to goto class when there were so many good lakes around.

Another spot I cought pike was Grassy lake just up from Low lake, if I remember right. The map does not show a boat landing or even a road to it but if memory serves me right there is a road and a landing but in order to get there you had to come off the Echo Trail and down FR 459

Good luck up there, sure would like to get up to that neck of the woods again

[no bait nate]

end of may on Rainy, summertime in itaska county chasing everything that chews, then a trip for fall walleyes to Gull in august, then finish it off in the BWCA in sept.

[Matt C]

BWCA - cant beat it. Been there 5 times. We have always gone WAY in. Have fun up there! Its true Gods country. I cant wait until my kids are older, and I can take them there...they can portage the canoes

[Hookey]

Never been to BWCA, if 'Someday' ever comes I would love to see the area.

Another place I plan on returning to is the U.P. Michigan. I spent many hours on the area lakes around Caspian and Iron River fishing Walleye with my departed Father in Law years ago and think it is time for a return. Clear water tons of structure and many lakes in Iron County full of Eyes.

[walleyehunter80]

The last time I was up in the BWCAW was 1998, I would go up into Insula Lake, Carol and Alice. All very good lakes and LOTS of fish, I did this trip twice and have been up in the BWCAW 3 other times and those 6 weeks I spent up there were some of the best memories of my life.

I strongly suggest that if you have never been to the BWCAW then you should go! If you dont have the gear or the know how, there are guides that will take you in. Also you dont have to go 25 miles in your first time. Just stay close and you will still have fun!

Josh